Coastline by the Opera House

[Aerith Gainsborough]

A submarine, battered and bashed from the long voyage, drifted ashore. It was apparent that it had been at the mercy of the currents for quite some time, having run out of fuel shortly after leaving Junon. There was a long silence, a moment as though thinking 'Land...?' Suddenly, a rusted creak shouted over the crashing waves and the door banged open.

[odin]

The sound of hooves echoed around the dreary morning, though its source could not be seen. A comet streaked across the dull sky slowly gaining height heading to the northern horizon as the Esper and his two companions began their ascent from the Opera house and its shattered roof of gleaming white marble. They were confronted by whirling cold zephers as they rose higher and higher trailing a stream of red.

Odin was confident that the Falcon would be following them soon, after all Setzer was a very much capable captain and pilot and he was sure that Cloud would help in any way he could. Where Seymour had gone, and indeed why was a mystery though Odin intended to find out both. The only direction really available was further north, following the peninsula upwards, since Odin had seen no ship docked or means that Seymour may have used. He was powered by a swift motivation to locate the Ancient. She rather had a habit of being kidnapped. Though technically she should be dead, he reasoned this was a better option.

Below was a glorious view, of a steel grey seas and green land laid out magnificently below them as they began to level out at Odin's whispered command. He felt Rinoa's grip upon his armour and wondered what she had been through. What trials had she faced to bring her to this moment? How was it that it had happened this way? The Eidolon was laden was questions and half formed thoughts. She was a Sorceress, but where was her knight? Where was Squall? A Sorceress' knight was there to maintain the psychological balance of their Sorceress. Such power came with a price, hubris and desire had tainted so many of her kin. It was Squall's purpose to provide her with the emotional support for carring the burden of her forebears. Where was he? He was about to ask, but paused. It wasn't that he felt awkward, but that this was not their immediate concern. No, that honour belonged to Aerith and Seymour.

"What do you know of the geography?" He asked his fellow riders, presuming that they had been in this strange world longer than he had.

[Tiamat]

Rinoa was hanging on to Odin for dear life. She hadn't ever been on a horse before, and although she felt far less likely to slide off its backend than she did on a chocobo, the violent heaving and rocking underneath her was nearly terrifying. And the sight of the ground dropping away under the animal's feet as it ascended did nothing to allay her fear. Luckily she didn't have to look down to answer Odin's question.

"I don't know the geography here, Odin. We came from far, far east of this peninsula by way of a submarine. It might be an entirely different continent. But we should overtake them soon, shouldn't we? I mean, they're probably travelling by foot or chocobo." Not that Rinoa was going to be the one keeping her eye on the ground below.

[odin]

"That's the theory," Odin replied, "but these people have an uncanny habit of disappearing"

He scanned the landscape with a trained eye, looking for not only for Aerith and her kidnappers, but also points of reference with which to navigate. The world was twisted at its very core, he knew that. He could feel even now the soft whispers of the Sixth Planet below all the while being diluted, being warped by the others.

"I would imagine that we would have overtaken them already if they were travelling by foot. By Chocobo it's hard to say. There are many types. If it were a flying chocobo we may have to wait a little longer. It all very much depends"

In the distance the dark shape of mountains began to form on the horizon, the edge of a great spine. Sleiphir whinnied and ascended higher, the air filled with strange hoof beats though the horse was riding upon air currents and not safety of the earth. They plunged into a cloud front and were assaulted by moisture and wet. Everything went white and there was nothing else. Odin made no reaction, but did pat Sleiphir to go up and out of the wispy wonder world of whirling white turrets and grey shadows. As they pulled out they were showered with warm golden sunshine as they went above the clouds. Below was a patchwork world below a drifting sea of coruscating white mist, the edges tinged with orange glow of morning.

“I apologise for that” Odin said. White doves whisked past, birdsong whistling to them from across the silent world. “Who else is here? Apart from the ones I’ve seen?” Odin asked, pausing briefly. “Any of my kind?”

[Tiamat]

((Sorry! My intense ADD leads me to start posts and then do something else for 5 hours and then have to get off the computer to make way for my sister. ))

Rinoa sneezed violently as Sleipher plunged up into the cloud cover. She dared to free one hand from its deathgrip om
Odin to wipe her face off quickly. Thankfully, above the clouds, the sun warmed her quickly and the moisture from the clouds evaporated of her skin and clothes. The air was thinner; Rinoa had to adjust her breathing before she could answer Odin.

"We were with Bahamut for a while. But we haven't seen it since we left Junon." She paused thoughtfully. "Aerith was in contact with Bahamut. She had an orb that let her contact it. One of her materia or something. But it seemed like it didn't work." Rinoa shrugged. "As to any other humans, there's... There's no one else. That I've seen, anyways." She pondered whether she ought to mention Xenos, but that would mean bringing up Squall, and Rinoa did not know what to say about any of it. She decided to focus on the task at hand. They must attend to the living before the dead.

[odin]

Odin nodded, drowning in his own thoughts. He let the description of a Bahamut as an ‘it’ pass. He was missing something crucial in his mind, something key like a memory that lingered just out of reach. He saw a light in the darkness, the throbbing of a red moon in his mind and beyond that in another world a deeper probing darkness, a presence.

They now passed over the mountains, the huge pinnacles pointing accusingly at them like serrated daggers. Sleiphir seemed to glow now, his being alive with some force as he propelled through the air soon reducing the world to a blurred watercolour and the mutters of the mingled Planets in his ears. Air rushed by and cold mountain gales, but it was such that the speed and the heightening sun that retained some warmth in the eidolon’s bones.

“I can feel some power in the land, remnants of that which made it and broke it like an icy shard lodged within my soul.” He whispered aloud. “What was it that did this? What terrible power?” He gave a heavy sigh as he reached out and the elusive memory fell away into darkness.

[Seltzer Grenadine]

((Hey, guys. Just let us know when we can get this show on the road. We're really just kinda stalling for time over in the Falcon, so we can wind down as soon as you're ready.))

[odin]

((I'm ready. To Bevelle, right?))

[Seltzer Grenadine]

((To Bevelle. I'll give the others a heads up and ask Aerith if everything is okay to move ahead. ))

[Seltzer Grenadine]

((To Bevelle, my friends! We can head there to meet up with Seph and Co., but we should wait a while before the actual confrontation. Since you have a head start, I'll let you make the first move and we'll follow suit. Sound good?))

[odin]

The summon with his keen eyes then saw a gigantic city in the distance, an alien city which he did not recognise. An alien man and now an alien city, he thought. A logical place to scour for the ancient and her kidnapper. The lifestream was different here. It was singing in a language he did not know, so loud it almost consumed him. In the voices he heard a strange hope, but also pain, terrible pain. In his mind he could see trails of kaleidoscopic colour, a great vortex of light and sound.

Odin and his passenger plunged from the lofty mountain heights accompanied by the rumble of unearthly hoof beats. It was a huge city, only rivalled and overcome by Lindblum of the Ninth realm, it’s huge temple complexes of bright colour reaching up into sapphire morning. They landed near the entrance Sleiphir moving seamlessly from air to earth.

((Okay. I suppose we start a new thread though))

>>Bevelle!>>